Musical accompaniment: Ain’t No Tellin by Mississippi John Hurt
This is Christina, the daughter of photographer Mervyn O’Gorman took this photograph of his daughter Christina, as she posed in a red cloak in Dorset, England in 1913.
The Royal Photographic Society
There’s something striking in her appearance. If we said Christina personified a mood or a state of being, what would it be ?
old spirituals 
Christina represents curiosity and exploration. The photograph is timeless!
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She does look very modern, doesn’t she? Exploration, yes! I agree!
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I see a young woman “mind wandering,” a.k.a. “DAYDREAMING.”
Research scientists have identified what they call the brain’s “default network.” This network links parts of the frontal cortex, the limbic system, and several other areas involved in sensory experiences. Research has shown that the default network turns itself own when a person is not actively doing cognitive activities, thus generating its own stimulation.
According to Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., ABPP, a Professor Emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, The technical term for such a product of the default network is “stimulus independent thought,” a thought about something other than events that originate from the outside environment. In common speech, stimulus independent thoughts make up fantasies and daydreams, the stuff of mind wandering.
Research has proven that between cognitive tasks a set of brain structures become more active. These same structures turnoff as soon as a person begins to engage in a cognitive task. I assume it is because it requires focus on the task at hand and not something imaginary.
A rapidly growing disorder is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), especially in the very active or hyper child. The answer seems to be to place the child on prescription drugs for the alleged disorder. “Maintaining focus, however, is a challenge for individuals of all ages, and people have long looked for strategies, tricks, and medications to help them stay on track.” I wonder if those who suffer with ADD have difficulty or ever “daydream?”
It has been said that daydreaming helps to maintain sanity. It also has been noted that daydreaming “incubates creative discovery.” Do you daydream? Do we daydream more in our youth than in our old age? What say you?
I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. I get most
joy in life out of music.
— Albert Einstein —
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I wish I’d known the term “stimulus independent thought” when I was younger. I often got caught daydreaming in school but if I could’ve come back with, “No I’m conducting stimulus independent thought experiments,” I’d probably have gotten away with tuning out more often than I did!
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